To mark the 200th anniversary of Midleton Distillery, Irish Distillers has unveiled Midleton Very Rare 2025, an exceptional vintage whiskey that marries tradition with innovation. Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has crafted a blend of six distinct distillate styles, said to be the most complex in the collection’s history.
Sourced from its historic A2 warehouse, Midleton Very Rare 2025 features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak, and an enhanced contribution of single pot still whiskey, matured in first-fill barrels for added depth.
“This vintage is about legacy,” O’Gorman explains. “But it’s also about progression. We’ve looked back over generations to honour our heritage, and we’ve looked forward in the glass to imagine where Irish whiskey is going.”
Sourced from the historic A2 Warehouse, this year’s release features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak…
Cask selection and composition
At the heart of the 2025 release is an artful blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys, some laid down decades ago. In a first for the series, three grain whiskey styles are included, each chosen for their character and maturity.
Alongside Midleton’s signature grain whiskey, is a 22-Year-Old select batch special grain whiskey, crafted from a mash bill of barley and malted barley, which was blended with an equally rare 21 Year-Old grain whiskey. Both matured in refill ex- American whiskey oak barrels, delivering a buttery sweetness and rich butterscotch tones
After creating three prototypes, O’Gorman and his team chose to enhance the contribution of pot still spirit aged in first-fill barrels to bring the blend into its final, finely tuned form.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the whiskey is the colour of sunlit hay, golden, and gently radiant. The nose opens with vanilla and honey. Subtle notes of fruit and oak provide backbone and body.
Smooth and silky, on the palate there’s winning interplay between toffee apples, soft fruits, and sweetened spice. Treacle meets sugar-glazed fruits, albeit with a herbal undertone and some zesty citrus. The dram is complex and rewarding.
The whiskey then exits with a graceful flourish, as befits its status.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is presented in a fully recyclable gift box, adorned with illustrations of Midleton Distillery, its iconic copper pot stills, and a commemorative 200th anniversary stamp.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is priced at £220 (€240 / $350), and is available in Ireland, Great Britain, USA, Northern Ireland, Australia, Irish and global travel retail and Irish Distillers’ brand homes.
Bowmore has joined forces with design studio Snarkitecture for a pair of 20 Year Old single malts. This is Snarkitecture’s first venture into whisky; the design studio is better known for its experimental, arty approach to architecture. Co-founder Alex Mustonen travelled from New York to Islay, drawing inspiration from the island’s landscape and Bowmore’s historic…
After an 11-year absence, Hibiki 12 Years Old is returning to airport shelves as a new Global Travel Retail whisky exclusive. Duty-free is increasingly becoming a happy hunting ground for limited editions and hard-to-find whisky releases. A new entry on our wants-list is this Hibiki 12 Years Old, particularly notable as the expression has been…
The Dalmore has returned to its dunnage warehouses for a limited 14 Year Old single malt whisky finished in Semisecco Marsala casks. It’s the latest expression in the Distillery Select Series, a collection of limited-edition whiskies drawn from small parcels of stock at the distillery. First launched in 2024, each release in the Series is…
The Luxe Review 
To mark the 200th anniversary of Midleton Distillery, Irish Distillers has unveiled Midleton Very Rare 2025, an exceptional vintage whiskey that marries tradition with innovation. Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has crafted a blend of six distinct distillate styles, said to be the most complex in the collection’s history.
Sourced from its historic A2 warehouse, Midleton Very Rare 2025 features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak, and an enhanced contribution of single pot still whiskey, matured in first-fill barrels for added depth.
“This vintage is about legacy,” O’Gorman explains. “But it’s also about progression. We’ve looked back over generations to honour our heritage, and we’ve looked forward in the glass to imagine where Irish whiskey is going.”
Cask selection and composition
At the heart of the 2025 release is an artful blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys, some laid down decades ago. In a first for the series, three grain whiskey styles are included, each chosen for their character and maturity.
Alongside Midleton’s signature grain whiskey, is a 22-Year-Old select batch special grain whiskey, crafted from a mash bill of barley and malted barley, which was blended with an equally rare 21 Year-Old grain whiskey. Both matured in refill ex- American whiskey oak barrels, delivering a buttery sweetness and rich butterscotch tones
After creating three prototypes, O’Gorman and his team chose to enhance the contribution of pot still spirit aged in first-fill barrels to bring the blend into its final, finely tuned form.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 Edition tasting notes
The Luxe Review was invited to taste the liquid at the distillery, following the launch of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Six.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the whiskey is the colour of sunlit hay, golden, and gently radiant. The nose opens with vanilla and honey. Subtle notes of fruit and oak provide backbone and body.
Smooth and silky, on the palate there’s winning interplay between toffee apples, soft fruits, and sweetened spice. Treacle meets sugar-glazed fruits, albeit with a herbal undertone and some zesty citrus. The dram is complex and rewarding.
The whiskey then exits with a graceful flourish, as befits its status.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is presented in a fully recyclable gift box, adorned with illustrations of Midleton Distillery, its iconic copper pot stills, and a commemorative 200th anniversary stamp.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is priced at £220 (€240 / $350), and is available in Ireland, Great Britain, USA, Northern Ireland, Australia, Irish and global travel retail and Irish Distillers’ brand homes.
Bowmore takes whisky lovers on sherry and oak journey with 20 Year Old Captivo Collection
Bowmore has joined forces with design studio Snarkitecture for a pair of 20 Year Old single malts. This is Snarkitecture’s first venture into whisky; the design studio is better known for its experimental, arty approach to architecture. Co-founder Alex Mustonen travelled from New York to Islay, drawing inspiration from the island’s landscape and Bowmore’s historic…
Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese whisky returns after an 11 year absence but you’ll have to fly to get one
After an 11-year absence, Hibiki 12 Years Old is returning to airport shelves as a new Global Travel Retail whisky exclusive. Duty-free is increasingly becoming a happy hunting ground for limited editions and hard-to-find whisky releases. A new entry on our wants-list is this Hibiki 12 Years Old, particularly notable as the expression has been…
The Dalmore Distillery Select series returns with a 14 Year Old Marsala-finished single malt whisky
The Dalmore has returned to its dunnage warehouses for a limited 14 Year Old single malt whisky finished in Semisecco Marsala casks. It’s the latest expression in the Distillery Select Series, a collection of limited-edition whiskies drawn from small parcels of stock at the distillery. First launched in 2024, each release in the Series is…
Share this: